1. A program running in the background cannot be directly controlled by the operator. If it is brought into the foreground, it can be directly controlled by the operator. You can run several background programs at one time, but you can only run one foreground program at a time. 2. The spaces, quiet zones, and area surrounding a printed bar code symbol.

backing

Silicon release liner on media to which labels are attached until ready for use.

backlight

A light built into the terminal or reader display that makes it easier to view the display in dimly lit environments.

BAK

Bad Program Acknowledgment character. This character is sent from the bar code reader to indicate that the IRL program received from the host could not be successfully compiled. The program should be corrected and retransmitted.

bandwidth

The size in Hertz of the frequency range that a signal transmission occupies. Typical narrow band signals occupy a 25 KHz bandwidth. The 2.4 GHz radio frequency signal occupies a 1 MHz bandwidth.

bar

The darker element of a printed bar code symbol.

bar code

An automatic identification technology that encodes information into an array of adjacent parallel rectangular bars and spaces of varying widths.

bar code character

A single group of bars and spaces that represent an individual number, letter, punctuation mark, or other symbol.

bar code density

Number of data characters that can be represented in a linear unit of measure. Bar code density is often expressed in characters per inch. See also density.

bar code label

A label that contains a bar code symbol and that can be affixed to an object.

bar code reader

See reader.

bar code symbol

A printed or photographically reproduced bar code that contains a quiet zone, a start character, one or more data characters, a stop character, and a trailing quiet zone. The data characters may include a check character.

bar code symbology

See symbology.

bar height

The bar dimension perpendicular to the bar width. Same as bar length.

bar length

See bar height.

bar width

The thickness of a bar measured from the edge closest to the symbol start character and to the trailing edge of the same bar.

bar width reduction

The practice of making the nominal bar width dimension on file masters or printing plates more narrow to compensate for systematic errors in some printing processes. Bar width reduction can have positive or negative values.

bar/half-bar code

An automatic identification system, created in the late 1960s, that uses a two-track direct binary symbology. It was adopted by the U.S. Postal Service in the late 1980s as the basis for its Postnet Code.

baseband

A network in which the entire bandwidth of the transmission medium is used by a single digital signal. No modulation techniques are used.

batch takeup

A device that rewinds media; useful for printing batches of labels.

battery pack locks

The two yellow switches that, along with the battery pack release button mechanism, hold the battery pack onto a JANUS 2010.

baud rate

The number of discreet conditions or signal events per second. In RS-232 and RS-422/485 systems, baud rate is the same as bits per second (bps).

BCD

Binary coded decimal. A numbering system that uses base 2 and represents each decimal digit with four binary digits. Reading from left to right, the weighting values are equal to 8, 4, 2, and 1.

beam break

A type of read window that detects the presence of a package.

BEL

A command character that instructs the printer to return an error status code.

BFT

1. Binary file transfer. The process or method of transmitting a binary file (such as an executable file) from one computer to another. 2. Batch file transfer. The process of transferring the contents of a hot standby file to a batch file transfer NetComm. The NetComm transfers the data as efficiently as possible to the remote APPC application.

bidirectional

A bar code label that can be read from one start/stop character to the other; left to right or right to left.

binary

A system that encodes data as zeros and ones.

binary file

A file that contains a sequence of 8-bit data characters or executable code. Binary files require special software for transmission. See also BFT.

bindery emulation

NetWare 4.0 feature that lets you emulate the bindery database system that was available in all previous versions.

BIOS

Basic input-output system. The part of a computer operating system that handles communications between a program and external devices, such as a printer and electronic displays.

bit

An abbreviation for binary digit. A binary digit is a single element (0 or 1) in a binary number. Eight bits equal one byte.

bit rate

The speed at which bits are transmitted, usually expressed in bits per second. See bps.

blank field

A field that is filled with ASCII space (SP) characters. DCM uses SP rather than NULL for its empty fields in the header.

block

A sequence of continuous data characters or bytes transmitted as a unit. A coding procedure is usually applied for synchronization or error control purposes.

1. Usually means to invoke a bootstrap process, which involves building up a system from some simple preliminary instructions or information. 2. A boot invokes the BIOS boot sequence, clears all memory, and performs a complete power-on self test (POST) to ensure that the hardware and peripherals are operational. A boot initializes the system hardware for use by the system firmware and loads the default configuration currently stored in flash memory.

Boot companion disk

One of the disks that Intermec ships with your JANUS reader. The Boot Utility companion disk contains INTERSVR.EXE and other files you may need.

Boot Loader menu

The menu on the JANUS reader used to reboot the reader, to dump the reader's RAM, to reload or upgrade the reader's software, or to use Storage mode.

BOOTP server

Bootstrap protocol server. A device that assigns an IP address in response to a query from an IP node. In this query, the IP node supplies its physical address. The BOOTP server then checks its tables to determine the corresponding IP address.

Boot Utilities companion disk

One of the disks that Intermec ships with your JANUS reader. This disk contains the files you need to load or upgrade the reader's system software. This disk also contains the README.DOC, a text file that describes important information about the reader that was unavailable when the manual was published. This disk also contains a batch file, INSTALL.BAT, that you can use to install Auto-Loader onto a host.

bps

Bits per second. The unit of measure used to describe the rate of data transmission. For example, 1200 bits per second means that there are 1200 data bits transmitted per second. See bit rate.

bridge

A LAN product that incorporates the first two layers of the OSI model and allows connection of networks or subnetworks with similar architectures. Intermec's 0100 and 0110 Access Points are bridges.

broadcast

A type of transmission in which a message sent from the host is received by many devices on the system.

BRU

Base radio unit. A device that transmits messages over radio frequency (RF) waves between a controller and data collection devices.

buffer

An area of storage used to hold data being transferred from one device to another.

byte

A combination of eight bits in a predetermined pattern, designed to represent a digit or an alphanumeric character.